A postcard of Sakhaline (Elvira)

Date of dispatch : 2009-11-26

Sakhalin (&#1057;&#1072;&#1093;&#1072;&#1083;&#1080;&#769;&#1085;), also Saghalien, is a large elongated island in the North Pacific. It is part of Russia and is its largest island, administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast. The indigenous peoples of the island are the Sakhalin Ainu, Oroks, and Nivkhs. Most Ainu relocated to Hokkaid&#333; when Japanese were expelled from the island in 1949. Sakhalin was claimed by both Russia and Japan in the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, which led to bitter disputes between the two countries over the control of the island <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakhalin" hreflang="en">[wikipdia]</a>. <img src="/upload/russia_moscow_distance.jpg" height="301" width="600" alt="distance" />